The present invention involves an equine boot for protecting the back of the front legs, fetlocks, pastern bones and hoofs of horses during vigorous activity, particularly in water, sand and mud and a method of making the boot.
Boots to prevent injury to the back of horses front fetlocks, pastern bones and hoofs when running and doing hard maneuvers, such as in various competitions like jumping, barrel racing, roping, cutting, etc. are known, and it is also known to form a protrusion on the inside of the boot that fits into the depression in the back of each front hoof to hold the boot in place and to prevent turning. It is known to make equine boots by sandwiching a foam layer between exposed layers of cloth as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,026. It is also known to make the boots using a series of vertical panels as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re 32,930. It is also known to use different types of fasteners such as that shown in these and other patents, including Velcro(copyright) straps, leather straps with various kinds of buckles, laces and cleats, etc. Boots like the one described in this last named patent did not function satisfactorily as explained in column 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,026 previously cited above.
The rear of the boot is often made of a tough, cushiony material, which, under good conditions, protects the vulnerable rear area behind the horse""s front hooves. However, although there are many different kinds of boots to protect horse""s front hoofs, all suffer a characteristic that still allows injury in certain conditions. Those conditions are water, sand, sawdust and mud. When the horse is running in or jumping into several inches of water, mud, sawdust or sand, the water, mud, sawdust or sand pushes the boot upward exposing the vulnerable area behind the front hoof, allowing the boot to turn and allowing the front of the rear hoof to strike the vulnerable area injuring the rear portion of the horse""s coronet and/or pastern and/or the bulb of the heel of the hoof. A boot that would not turn even in mud, water or sand is very desirable.
The invention comprises an equine no-turn boot comprising a bell portion for covering a major portion of a hoof, a cuff integral with or attached to the bell adjacent the top of the bell portion, and a fastener for securing the no-turn boot to the hoof, the bell portion having a scuff portion or pad on the back side of the bell portion and the cuff portion being about 1.3 to about 1.75 inches in height. The cuff preferably extends about 1.5+/xe2x88x92{fraction (3/8 )} inch above the top of the bell portion, more preferably about 1.5+/xe2x88x92xc2xc inch and most preferably about 1.5+/xe2x88x92xe2x85x9 inch above the top of the bell portion.
The fastener preferably is on the side of bell portion near the front, but can be in other locations such as on the front of the bell portion. The fastener is preferably a Velcro(copyright) type fastener, but other types of fasteners can be used such as a strap having holes and a buckle, a strap and a no-slip slotted buckle, laces and eyes or cleats etc. The bell portion can be of a round shape, but preferably is relatively flat or generally straight across the back in the scuff pad portion. The fastener is preferably located to be on the outside of the horses hoof and near the front making it easier to fasten, being out of the way of the other front hoof and more effectively securing the boot on the horse""s hoof and lower leg. The no-turn boot also preferably comprises a raised portion on the inside of the bell portion adjacent the upper edge of the bell portion and opposite the scuff portion or pad designed to fit between the two bulbs of the heel of the hoof.
The invention also comprises a method of making the above no-turn boot comprising attaching an outer covering material to an inner covering material with a layer of foam material with a shape that forms a bell portion of the boot, attaching a scuff pad to the exterior of a backside of the boot and attaching fastening means to the bell portion of the boot, the bell portion having a shape that fits around the outside of a horse""s front hoof, the improvement comprising attaching a cuff that is flexible to the top of the bell portion of the boot, the cuff extending a distance in the range of about 1.25 to about 1.87 inches above the top of the bell portion, the cuff, being semi-rigid and sized to fit snugly around the pastern of the horse.
When the words equine and horse are used they are meant to include all animals resembling a horse and having hooves similar in shape as a horse even though smaller. Thus, such words would include horses of all types, mules, ponies of all types, zebras, etc.
When the word xe2x80x9caboutxe2x80x9d is used herein it is meant that the amount or condition it modifies can vary some beyond that so long as the advantages of the invention are realized. Practically, there is rarely the time or resources available to very precisely determine the limits of all the parameters of ones invention because to do would require an effort far greater than can be justified at the time the invention is being developed to a commercial reality. The skilled artisan understands this and expects that the disclosed results of the invention might extend, at least somewhat, beyond one or more of the limits disclosed. Later, having the benefit of the inventors disclosure and understanding the inventive concept and embodiments disclosed including the best mode known to the inventor, the inventor and others can, without inventive effort, explore beyond the limits disclosed to determine if the invention is realized beyond those limits and, when embodiments are found to be without any unexpected characteristics, those embodiments are within the meaning of the term about as used herein. It is not difficult for the artisan or others to determine whether such an embodiment is either as expected or, because of either a break in the continuity of results or one or more features that are significantly better than reported by the inventor, is surprising and thus an unobvious teaching leading to a further advance in the art.